Evidence delayed in murder trial

Jurors heard no evidence in the murder trial of Tyrone Francis yesterday as the trial judge heard protracted legal arguments in their absence.

Supreme Court Justice Vera Watkins will rule on the submissions made by Eucal Bonaby and defense lawyer Murrio Ducille about certain aspects of the trial this morning.

Prosecutors have charged Francis with murder.

They allege that he intentionally ran over Jonathan Linden with his car as he walked along Blue Hill Road South on October 10, 2009.

The prosecution alleges that Francis got into an argument with Linden and his friends Jerome Charlton and Elvardo Johnson while at the Royal Castle Restaurant.

However, Francis’ defense team argues that Linden’s death resulted from a traffic accident. He claims that he lost control of the car when Linden and others threw objects at his car.

Charlton has denied this version of events. According to Charlton, he and his friends were eating the meal they had purchased from the restaurant and it would have been impossible for them to simultaneously eat and throw objects at the car.

When the trial began on Monday, the evidence of a traffic reconstruction ‘expert’, ASP Richard Rahming, was postponed after Ducille questioned the nature of his proposed evidence.

Justice Watkins also questioned whether the court had enough evidence to deem him an expert, qualified to give opinion evidence.